At this point, we all know that former Ride-man Andy Bell has been a full-fledged member of the self-proclaimed best band in the world for some time now, but do you ever what ever happened to Bell's pouty-lipped cohort, Mark Gardener?
Aside from cutting his hair in a fashion far inferior to the long-haired Oxford babe look of 1991, Gardener has been working on a solo album. According to his website, These Beautiful Ghosts is set for release on October 11, 2005. A limited edition advanced version of the album is available at Oxford Music. At the time of this post, there are 42 copies left. (Interesting, last week I checked the site and only five were left.)
In other news, Gardener wrote and sang a few songs for inclusion on the upcoming album from Rinocerose, entitled Schizophonic and set for a release from V2 on October 3, 2005 . (Note: That date is for a UK release. I'll post a US release date if I find it.)
Gardener is opening for post-shoegazers-turned-blues-rockers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on the current U.S. tour, which hits the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on October 8, 2005.

While we're on the subject of Ride, read this article from the BBC.